Surfers caught in fishing lines want restrictions on pier

Share this:

Fishermen and surfers often coexist uncomfortably at the Huntington Beach pier. The fishing and the waves are often both good.

Surfer Stephen Stemmer is appealing to the Huntington Beach City Council to ban pier fishermen from fishing where the waves break. Stemmer said he and other surfers have been caught in fishing lines because they can't see them until it is too late. Recently Stemmer was caught in a line and snapped it because he couldn't wriggle loose, which upset the fisherman. The fisherman later followed him home and attempted to assault him, Stemmer said.

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

Surfer Stephen Stemmer waits to catch a wave near the Huntington Beach pier. He is appealing to the Huntington Beach City Council to ban pier fishermen from fishing where the waves break.

Junior Cortez,17, of Santa Ana fishes frequently at the Huntington Beach pier. With what he catches he says his family has a fish fry every weekend. Cortez says he has had surfers tangled in his lines

Long time Huntington Beach resident and pier fisherman Jose Llamas, 30, keeps a scrap book of his catches with him. While he believes surfers and fishermen can share the pier together, he says, "Surfers show no respect, they don't like us."

Surfer Stephen Stemmer recounts how a fisherman attempted to assault him after hooking him and breaking off the line at the Huntington Beach Pier. Stemmer wants fishing banned from a portion of the pier near the shore.

With fishermen above, a surfer glides by near the Huntington Beach Pier.

Surfer Stephen Stemmer is proud to be a Huntington Beach resident and has a tattoo of the city logo on his leg.

Junior Cortez,17, of Santa Ana watches surfers paddle by as he fishes from the Huntington Beach Pier. He has had surfers tangled in his line. Some surfers want fishing banned from a portion of the pier.

Surfer Stephen Stemmer says a fisherman attempted to assault him after he was hooked and broke the line. He wants fishing banned from a portion of the pier.

Junior Cortez,17, of Santa Ana uses 50 lb. test line and baitfish when he fishes at the Huntington Beach pier. He said it is expensive and time consuming to replace the line, bait and tackle when surfers snag it.

HUNTINGTON BEACH – A local surfer who has been tangled in fishing lines near the pier wants the city to put restrictions on where anglers can drop their lines, but some fishermen argue surfers should paddle away from the pier.

The long-standing conflict has pitted fisherman against surfer for years – each side claiming their territorial rights to the ocean.

But one side will have to budge, said pier fisherman Jose Llamas, 30, of Huntington Beach.

“Someone is going to get hurt,” he said. “They need to make a rule; either tell the fishermen to fish only on the south side or tell the surfers to surf farther out.”

Lamas added the declining economy has drawn more fishermen to the area, heightening the possibility of a serious incident.

“There are now a lot more people out here catching their food,” he said.

STANDOFF BECOMES FISTICUFFS

The standoff between anglers and surfers recently turned physical, prompting a local surfer to bring it to the city’s attention.

Stephen Stemmer, 23, of Huntington Beach said on July 23 a fisherman followed him home and attempted to assault him after an incident on the water.

While catching a wave, he found himself tangled in a fishing line and couldn’t unravel the clear cord fast enough so he snapped the line, he said.

“The next thing I know, the fisherman was cursing at me and throwing things,” he said. “It got heated.”

Stemmer headed home nearly an hour later – a five-block walk from the pier – when he heard rapid footsteps behind him.

“I turned and saw the fisherman running after me, and he came in for a punch,” Stemmer said. “I used my board and towel to fight him off.”

Police responded and wrote it as a citizen’s arrest. They will give the case to the District Attorney’s office, said Huntington Beach Lt. Russell Reinhart

Stemmer last year asked council members for help after getting caught up in fishing lines multiple times, one that resulted in him slicing his hand open so he could break free, he said.

He approached the council again at the Aug. 3 meeting to petition for fishing restrictions.

“It could be prevented but (the city) does nothing,” he said. “That’s why I’m so heated about this.

CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

Marine Safety Officer II Eric Ching said he would guess incidents between the two groups happen almost daily.

“It’s kind of like, ‘Can’t we all just get along?'” Ching said. “The fishermen will tell you that is where the best fishing is … and the surfers will tell you that’s where the best waves are.”

Ching said the pier and the water surrounding are designated as a multiuse area, and the two groups have to cope.

“The fishermen are responsible for their lines, and surfers are responsible for being aware of their surroundings,” he said.

But Stemmer said requiring fishermen to move down the pier would deter any future conflicts.

He wants fishing moved to the “second T,” which is near the bait and tackle shop about halfway down the pier.

“When you’re catching a wave, those fishing lines are like a spider web… it’s kind of like you’re dodging it, and next thing you know you’re caught up in a line,” Stemmer said.

However, some fishermen say they fish in shallower waters because the catch is better.

“I think what they’re asking is unreasonable, they have the whole ocean,” said Junior Cortez, 17, of Santa Ana. “This is where the fish feed and it’s easier to catch.”

Cortez added he heard of Stemmer’s recent incident and wasn’t surprised it escalated as it did.

Stemmer said he doesn’t buy the rationale behind fishing near the break water and anglers could thrive in deeper waters.

“There are fish all around this pier,” he said. “They don’t need to do it right here.”

WHERE THE SURF MEETS THE FISH

Marine Biologist Camm Swift said both groups are correct, in a way.

Pier pilings caked with mussels and other sea creatures attract fish to areas all around the pier.

Certain fish are attracted to the surf such as corbina and surf perch.

“It’s (about) different kinds of fish,” he said.

“The surf zone is kind of its own habitat,” said Swift. “If you go farther out on the pier you get sharks, croaker and halibut.”

Stemmer added that some surfers have been hooked in the leg or foot and have had lines wrapped around their necks.

“(The city) makes fishermen pull the lines up for the US Open on the south side and when the Junior Lifeguards do their pier swim, so obviously they know it’s a safety hazard,” he said. “So why aren’t they concerned for our safety?”

Surfers paddle in alongside the pier because a current, called a tow out, helps pull the surfer to the break line. From there, they paddle away from the pier to catch a wave.

The pier is a premier spot for experienced surfers who want a good ride, Stemmer said.

Ching said there have been times when surfers and fishermen instigate conflict and both groups should be responsible with their respective sports.

“Surfers have cut lines when they don’t need to. That is illegal and that is not a way to solve a problem,” he said. “There have been incidents when fishermen are being the aggressors, casting their lines at surfers, which is totally illegal and dangerous.”

Llamas said he has witnessed at least five large fights between the surfers and the fishermen over broken lines.

“They think the whole beach belongs to them,” he said.

But he said he believes something could be worked out. “I respect them… I think we could get along together.”